Microalgae as a Source of Mycosporine-like Amino Acids (MAAs); Advances and Future Prospects

Mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), are secondary metabolites, first reported in 1960 and found to be associated with the light-stimulated sporulation in terrestrial fungi. MAAs are nitrogenous, low molecular weight, water soluble compounds, which are highly stable with cyclohexenone or cycloheximine rings to store the free radicals. Microalgae are considered as a good source of different kinds of MAAs, which, in turn, has its own application in various industries due to its UV absorbing, anti-oxidant and therapeutic properties. Microalgae can be easily cultivated and requires a very short generation time, which makes them environment friendly source of biomolecules such as mycosporine-like amino acids. Modifying the cultural conditions along withmanipulation of genes associated with mycosporine-like amino acids biosynthesis can help to enhance MAAs synthesis and, in turn, can make microalgae suitable bio-refinery for large scale MAAs production. This review focuses on properties and therapeutic applications of mycosporine like amino acids derived from microalgae. Further attention is drawn on various culture and genetic engineering approaches to enhance the MAAs production in microalgae.

Drosophila suzukii (spotted wing drosophila).

The fruit fly D. suzukii is a fruit crop pest and is a serious economic threat to soft summer fruit. A polyphagous pest, it infests a wide range of fruit crops, included grape, as well as an increasing number of wild fruits. D. suzukii is an economically damaging pest because the females are able to infest thin-skinned fruits before harvest and the larvae destroy the fruit pulp by feeding. The species is endemic in Asia. It was first recorded as invasive in Hawaii in 1980 and then simultaneously in California and in Europe in 2008. Since 2008 it has spread rapidly throughout the temperate regions of North America and Europe, due to global trade and the initial lack of regulation over the spread of any Drosophila. This species has a high reproductive rate and short generation time; D. suzukii can theoretically have up to 13 generations per year, which may contribute towards rapid spread, given available suitable hosts. D. suzukii is listed on the EPPO alert list.

Breeding and hibernation of captive meadow jumping mice (Zapus hudsonius)

Hibernating mammals exhibit unique metabolic and physiological phenotypes that have potential applications in medicine or spaceflight, yet our understanding of the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms of hibernation is limited. The meadow jumping mouse, a small North American hibernator, exhibits traits–including a short generation time–that would facilitate genetic approaches to hibernation research. Here we report the collection, captive breeding, and laboratory hibernation of meadow jumping mice. Captive breeders in our colony produced a statistically significant excess of male offspring and a large number of all-male and all-female litters. We confirmed that short photoperiod induced pre-hibernation fattening, and cold ambient temperature facilitated entry into hibernation. During pre-hibernation fattening, food consumption exhibited non-linear dependence on both body mass and temperature, such that food consumption was greatest in the heaviest animals at the coldest temperatures. Meadow jumping mice exhibited a strong circadian rhythm of nightly activity that was disrupted during the hibernation interval. We conclude that it is possible to study hibernation phenotypes using captive-bred meadow jumping mice in a laboratory setting.

Life cycle of the dung beetle Onthophagus cervus (Fabricius, 1798) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in moist belts of south India

Biology, nesting behaviour, and the factors favouring the high abundance of prominent dung beetle species, Onthophagus cervus (Fabricius, 1798) in an open agricultural field in North Kerala were studied. Short life cycle with high fecundity, low egg mortality, shorter larval duration, shorter developmental period, short generation time, female-biased sex ratio, and longer survivability of females were recorded. Female-biased sex ratio in O. cervus indicates that mating competition takes place between male offsprings and the high cost of producing males led to their reduction. Broad categorization of Onthophagus species is provided based on the comparison of data of brood mass production, fecundity, duration of egg, larval, pupal, adult stages, adult mortality and life span of various Onthophagus species. Higher abundance of O. cervus in the region is attributed to traits that are characterize of r-selection such as high fecundity, small body size, low egg mortality, shorter larval duration, early onset of maturity, and shorter developmental period. Short generation time which enables attaining maturity earlier together with female biased sex ratio, longer duration of females favouring high egg production and shallow tunnels which enable easy and fast tunnelling process and development in thin soil top soil layer are the other factors that contributed to the higher abundance of O. cervus. Present study showed that geographic region wise knowledge on the life history traits of prominent dung beetles are necessary for interpretation of the exact mechanism behind their seasonality and abundance in specific regions and the generated data will be useful for the conservation of species in natural habitats.

Breeding and hibernation of captive meadow jumping mice (Zapus hudsonius)

Hibernating mammals exhibit unique metabolic and physiological phenotypes that have potential applications in medicine or spaceflight, yet our understanding of the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms of hibernation is limited. The meadow jumping mouse, a small North American hibernator, exhibits traits – including a short generation time – that would facilitate genetic approaches to hibernation research. Here we report the collection, captive breeding, and laboratory hibernation of meadow jumping mice. Captive breeders in our colony produced a statistically significant excess of male offspring and a large number of all-male and all-female litters. We confirmed that short photoperiod induced pre-hibernation fattening, and cold ambient temperature facilitated entry into hibernation. During pre-hibernation fattening, food consumption exhibited non-linear dependence on both body mass and temperature, such that food consumption was greatest in the heaviest animals at the coldest temperatures. Meadow jumping mice exhibited a strong circadian rhythm of nightly activity that was disrupted during the hibernation interval. We quantified the length and timing of torpor bouts and arousals obtained from an uninterrupted recording of a hibernating female. Over a 90.6 day hibernation interval, torpor bouts ranged from 2.1 to 12.8 days (mean 7.7 days), and arousal length was relatively constant with a mean length of 9.6 hours. We conclude that it is possible to study hibernation phenotypes using captive-bred meadow jumping mice in a laboratory setting.

Supports of ceramic mixture for acelerated growth of Mycobacterium smegmatis

Mycobacterium smegmatis (Ms), with its short generation time and low biosafety requirements, serves as an appropriate model to study Mycobacteria in general and is useful for assays of anti-tuberculosis agents. Recently, ceramic materials have been used in biomedical applications as a substrate. The aim of this work was to evaluate the ability of growth by Ms over supports prepared with a ceramic mixture. The supports were synthetized from hydroxyapatite (HA) and In2TiO5. SEM, EDS and XRD were used for analyze its final chemical composition. The increase of the oxygen concentration it is attributed to photocatalytic effect promoted by the sunlight exposure of supports immersed on MDB 7H9. The ceramic mixture, was responsible of the oxygen increase and, consequently, of the increase of eight times on the minimal inhibitory concentration in rezasurine assays on microplate. The use of the ceramic support showed the Ms growth 24 h before respect to the control without support.

Opposing macroevolutionary and trait-mediated patterns of threat and naturalization in flowering plants

Due to expanding global trade and movement, new plant species are establishing in exotic ranges at increasing rates while the number of native species facing extinction from multiple threats grows. Yet, how species losses and gains globally may together be linked to traits and macroevolutionary processes is poorly understood. Here we show that, adjusting for diversification rate and age, the proportion of threatened species across flowering plant families is negatively related to the proportion of naturalized species. Moreover, naturalization is positively associated with climate variability, short generation time, autonomous seed production, and interspecific hybridization, but negatively with age and diversification; whereas threat is negatively associated with climate variability and hybridization, and positively with biotic pollination, age and diversification. Such a pronounced signature of naturalization and threat across plant families suggests that both trait syndromes have coexisted over deep evolutionary time and that neither strategy is necessarily superior to the other.

Drug discovery and chemical probing in Drosophila

Flies are increasingly utilized in drug discovery and chemical probing in vivo, which are novel technologies complementary to genetic probing in fundamental biological studies. Excellent genetic conservation, small size, short generation time, and over one hundred years of genetics make Drosophila an attractive model for rapid assay readout and use of analytical amounts of compound, enabling the experimental iterations needed in early drug development at a fraction of time and costs. Here, we describe an effective drug-testing pipeline using adult flies that can be easily implemented to study several disease models and different genotypes to discover novel molecular insight, probes, quality lead compounds, and develop novel prototype drugs.

Dovzetnost bub plodove vinske mušice (Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura, 1931)) za okužbo z entomopatogenimi glivami

Spotted wing drosophila (<em>Drosophila suzukii</em> (Matsumura, 1931), Diptera, Drosophilidae) management is difficult mainly because of its short generation time, polyphagy and serrated ovipositor, but also because its larvae can pupate in the orchard soil and are thus protected from insecticide applications. We hypothesized that insect-pathogenic soil fungi could successfully infect <em>Drosophila suzukii</em> pupae in soil environment. We tested several entomopathogenic or soil fungi against pupae in a) conidia-spiked soil, b) via direct applications of conidia, and c) by dipping pupae into conidial suspensions. <em>Metarhizium brunneum </em>Petch<em> </em>strain H.J.S. 1154 significantly reduced fly emergence in conidia spiked soil and bioinsecticide Naturalis (based on entomopathogenic fungus <em>Beauveria bassiana </em>(Bals.-Criv.) Vuill. in direct exposure tests. Our attempt to determine IC₅₀ of pupal hatching rate by dipping <em>D. suzukii</em> pupae into conidial suspensions was unsuccessful. We conclude that the pupal stage is probably too brief to allow entomopathogens to cause a significant reduction of fly emergence. According to our results and published articles, the fungal biocontrol potential would probably best be evaluated in spray applications against adult flies.